Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

Guys, I walked into Hermes today looking to sample Ambre Narguille and Santal Massoia given the high rating - both failed me somewhat - AN was too sweet,i think it will take me 10-15 years to finish this! but yes its nice but not nice enough to invest; SM was no way near my territory, Poivre Samarcande was nice but it reminded me of Loewe No.7 in a way, that both of these feature pepper, then before i left the guy sprayed Vetiver Tonka on me and i was like...whoaaaa..wait a minute - uncluttered green..slightly smokey..even a little peppery, i like - but i came home and found out that on basenotes its being compared to Pal Zileri's Africa which costs something less than 3/4 of the price? is this true? is there something else very close? I see no similarities with Byredo's Bal D'Afrique (similar according to fragantica) besides the fact that both of this is green, Byredo's feature mangos prominently, or atleast this is what i get.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

I like Vetiver Tonka but, somewhat, I've never been able to pull the trigger on a full bottle. Alternatively, have you ever tried Fat Electrician? They're not exactly similar but they surely belong to the same neighborhood.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

Originally Posted by alfarom

I like Vetiver Tonka but, somewhat, I've never been able to pull the trigger on a full bottle. Alternatively, have you ever tried Fat Electrician? They're not exactly similar but they surely belong to the same neighborhood.

Yes, i wouldnt mind making this gamble first! but i read on basenotes that fat electrician is closer BVLGARI BLACK - and that scares me lol - how true is this? Vetiver Tonka has just officially blown me away.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

Originally Posted by benzganesh

...How about Fat Electrician by Etat Libre?...

Fat Electrician's vetiver is a bit more prominent, IMO. What i like so much about VT is the tobacco accord, especially in the heat. I prefer the tonka pairing in VT to FE's metallic vanilla. Both are great frags though.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

Originally Posted by benzganesh

Yes, i wouldnt mind making this gamble first! but i read on basenotes that fat electrician is closer BVLGARI BLACK - and that scares me lol - how true is this? Vetiver Tonka has just officially blown me away.

In my vision, Fat Electrician is to Bulgari Black just like jumping on your bed is to being an astronaut....but it's porobably just me...

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

I'm not a fan of Vetiver Tonka, unfortunately, due to its relatively high sweetness level. I recommend sampling Coeur de Vetiver Sacre by L'Artisan that is in the same slightly sweet vein as Vetiver Tonka (albeit less-so) and is much better smelling and less expensive, IMO.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

I LOVE Vetiver Tonka. I think it was one of the first vetivers that really made me realize just how much I was into vetiver.
I can also heartily recommend Fat Electrician. Though not the same - they're not completely different either. F.E got that fantastic metallic vanilla-vibe to the vetiver, and it keeps drifting in and out. V.T on the other hand is this perfect blend of sweet and vetivery.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

Originally Posted by hreple

I LOVE Vetiver Tonka. I think it was one of the first vetivers that really made me realize just how much I was into vetiver.
I can also heartily recommend Fat Electrician. Though not the same - they're not completely different either. F.E got that fantastic metallic vanilla-vibe to the vetiver, and it keeps drifting in and out. V.T on the other hand is this perfect blend of sweet and vetivery.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

Benzganesh: I'd sample both before you made up your mind. They are both vetiver-based, but oh dear they're pretty far apart signature-wise.

Vetiver Tonka is way smoother, with a more pronounced sweetness from that tonka. Fat Electrician got that vanilla / metallic vibe to it, and to me - less pronounced vetiver.

I find it hard to describe, but I URGE you to sample before you pull the trigger here.

For me - I LOVE both. Fat Electrician is kinda special - and I don't use it too often, but I feel damn good when I do. I used a lot of Vetiver Tonka when I visited Italy this summer - and it was fantastic in the heat.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

Benzganesh: I'd sample both before you made up your mind. They are both vetiver-based, but oh dear they're pretty far apart signature-wise.

Vetiver Tonka is way smoother, with a more pronounced sweetness from that tonka. Fat Electrician got that vanilla / metallic vibe to it, and to me - less pronounced vetiver.

I find it hard to describe, but I URGE you to sample before you pull the trigger here.

For me - I LOVE both. Fat Electrician is kinda special - and I don't use it too often, but I feel damn good when I do. I used a lot of Vetiver Tonka when I visited Italy this summer - and it was fantastic in the heat.

Thank you for your note - unfortunately i live in Malaysia, and sampling for Fat Electrician is really way out of my league! since the brand is not sold here.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

Originally Posted by alfarom

In my vision, Fat Electrician is to Bulgari Black just like jumping on your bed is to being an astronaut....but it's porobably just me...

LOL!!!

No, it's not just you. Redneck Control reports that the Fat Electrician module failed to achieve escape velocity from planet Henri Bendel, and is probably laying on its bed somewhere reading Playboy. Meanwhile Bulgari Black had become an international space station, where James Bond and various new supermodels are having assorted adventures.

Vetiver Tonka prepares to launch the first private space shuttle to Bulgari Black....

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

I like Vetiver Tonka but its projection and sillage is very poor on my skin, so I got Montale's Red Vetyver, which to me is very similar, I get great projection and 10-12 hour longevity. Plus its much cheaper.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

Originally Posted by vinramani09

I like Vetiver Tonka but its projection and sillage is very poor on my skin, so I got Montale's Red Vetyver, which to me is very similar, I get great projection and 10-12 hour longevity. Plus its much cheaper.

I need to try this one - a lot of guys swear by it. They sometimes think it's more like things other than VT, but they're all very well-regarded scents.

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

I am also by the way, getting a hint of Iso-E-Super from the Vetiver Tonka, but still love it; seriously twisting my mind to go in the way of Fat Electrician - 250.00 for Vetiver Tonka is just too much!

Re: Blown Away by VETIVER TONKA...

I'm not a big fan of vetiver, but Vetiver Tonka is a nice frag. Hermes gives a real generous size sample so you should be able to get a good idea of whether or not it's for you. Not for nothing, but another vetiver frag I dig is Dior Vetiver.